BROWSE BY

Gone With the Wind

Great unrequited and unconsummated love affairs in literature act so powerfully on readers that we think we can change the story’s ending. Some of us will devour a book over and over again, knowing that two characters with great romantic chemistry won’t — and maybe shouldn’t — end up together but wishing against all reason that they will. Each time, we hope that the page might turn, and this time instead of a missed moment or a gaze or a goodbye, we will happen upon a kiss, or a reconciliation. …Read More

Thanks to the advent of the Internet, fan outrage surrounding Hollywood casting decisions can help make or break a role before films even enter theaters. We’ve seen several instances of this kind of outcry, which we explore past the break, but the latest big-screen casting fans are questioning relates to Emile Hirsch playing John Belushi in Steve Conrad’s biopic about the outrageous comedian. Read about other casting controversies, below. …Read More

Writing isn’t necessarily a linear process. History shows that authors frequently composed their novels by writing or conceptualizing the final chapter or sentence first. Today marks the 77th anniversary of the publication of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. She famously wrote her best-selling story of the Old South backwards, penning the saddest parts of the Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara saga before figuring out the details of their tumultuous relationship. After the jump, we explore why eight different authors worked from end to start. May they inspire you to consider an alternative approach to your next narrative. …Read More

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and it’s not too late to run to the local bookstore to pick up a literary gift for your bookish mom. A few of us asked our own mothers to share their favorite books with us, so consider these various titles vetted as a mom-appropriate gifts. …Read More

Lynne Ramsay is a tremendously talented director, as anyone who has seen her films We Need to Talk About Kevin and Ratcatcher can tell you, which makes the latest ripple in her career quite a bummer: when production began Monday on her latest film, the Natalie Portman-fronted Western Jane Got a Gun, Ramsay was nowhere to be found. Deadline broke the story (so beware; that site is notoriously cozy with studio types who might have it in their interest to paint Ramsay as wildly — and litigiously — irresponsible), reporting trouble right up to the start date. Ramsay still hasn’t issued comment on the matter, but the film’s producers have already lined up a replacement in the form of Gavin O’Connor, director of Warrior and Tumbleweeds (and the pilot of The Americans). Deadline branded Ramsay’s departure a “SHOCKER,” but it’s not as rare as you’d think; despite the intense work of developing a picture and preparing it, filmmakers have frequently walked away from pictures before — or even during — production. We’ve got a few examples for you after the jump. …Read More

We don’t subscribe to the notion that every Academy Award-winning movie deserved the golden Oscar. Sure, there have been a few mistakes, but the Academy’s 84-year record proves the institution is frequently spot-on. Surveying Oscar’s Best Picture winners allows us to walk the halls of cinema history, with film’s most honorable at every turn. Netflix users don’t always agree, however. The streaming service’s anonymous and boldly opinionated comments section reveals a number of misguided reviews of Oscar-winning movies that won unanimous praise. Opinions are subjective, but we question these critics. Hold your heads along with us after the jump where we examine the most ill-considered write-ups on Oscar’s best. …Read More